Apparatus for distributing tobacco



Oct. 8, 1963 3,106,427

N. R- F. MORTIMER APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO Filed Aug. 23, 1961//l/l/4/TOR N051. QFM RT/MER United States Patent APPARATUS FORDISTRIBUTING TOBACCO Noel R. F. Mortimer, Guildford, Surrey, England,assignor to Vokes Limited, Guildford, Surrey, England Filed Aug. 23,1961, Ser. No. 133,384 Claims priority, application Great Britain Aug.24, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 302-28) This invention relates to distributingsystems for prepared tobacco to tobacco-utilising machines such ascigarette-making machines.

It is usual practice to use an air conveyor system comprising a numberof conduits for transporting tobacco from a common feed-in station toseveral utilising machines and to employ a single suction fan for thispurpose. Hoppers including a separating screen and a discharge door(conveniently referred to as dischargers) are provided at each utilisingmachine, and such dischargers-are operated in accordance with individualutilising machine demand by opening them to the suction source for arequisite period.

In such known systems, when a discharger is filled and ready to depositits contents, a flap or exit door is opened to permit tobacco to fallunder gravity from the discharger to the supply hopper of the machinewhich it feeds.

When such flap or door is open in a system where a single conduit fromthe feed-in station is manifolded to several distinct transportingconduits ambient air from the vicinity of the machine enters thetransporting conduit to join conveying air flowing from the feed-inpoint through the manifold to other dischargers, which may be connectedto the suction source. This returning air tends to carry with it towardsthe feedin station tobacco which was being transported away from thatstationand also reduces the suction available at the feed-in point forthe new tobacco required for the other dischargers.

According to the invention we provide a pneumatic tobacco distributingsystem comprising a feed-in station, a feed pipe led from the station toa utilising zone and including a vertical leg of conduit leadingupwardly and manifolded to several transporting conduits leading todischargers, at least one fan for creating suction in the" transportingconduits and a non-return valve situated between the inlet of eachdischarger and the said manifold operating to prevent draw-back of airthrough the discharger to the vertical leg and other transportingconduits when the discharge door is open.

In preferred forms of the invention the non-return valves are sitedimmediately above the manifold arrangements so that a minimum of air canenter the conveying system by leakage in the transporting conduits notourently being used themselves.

The non-return valves may be of the kind urged to their closed positionby gravity, a spring or like means and opened upon incidence of suctionin the transporting conduit in which they are situated. Normally suchtranshand-fed) in the form of a hopper or chute connected portingconduit is subjected to suction upon the opening of a valve at the airoutlet side of the discharger which it feeds, and such opening isregulated by an automatic timer circuit controlled by machine demand.

A prefer-red form of the invention will now-be described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a pneumatic tobacco distributingsystem according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a detail of the system of FIG. 1 in the vertical plane throughIIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a detail of a tobacco distributing systemaccording to the invention in which a large distance separates hoppers.

to a vertical conduit 3. Tobacco could be fed to the chute or hopper bymanual means or alternatively, as is preferred, by automaticallycontrolled mechanical or pneumatic feeding means and a signal devicesuch as a lampor buzzer may be provided at the feed-in station toindicate to the operator when tobacco should be fed to the chute orhopper.

A vertical air-lift conduit 3 leads from the chute or hopper 2 and isbranched or manifolded to several separate transporting conduits 4, 5, 6and 7 whose function is to serve each of several tobacco utilizingmachines (not shown). elude inclined or vertical sections, but isnormally largely horizontal.

If it is desirable to have the feed-in point 2 situated some distanceaway from the utilising machines, it is convenient to keep the manifoldand the vertical pipe 3 near the machines and to carry the tobacco in along substantially horizontal pipe 26 from the feed-in point 2 to thevertical pipe 3 as shown in FIG. 3.

All of the transporting conduits are brought into conjunction at aconvenient portion and are jointly connected through a common conduit 8to a suction fan 9 preferably in the neighbourhood of the feed-in point.

Each separate transporting conduit 4, 5, 6 and 7 includes a discharger10, I l, 12 and 13 for the intermittent supply of a predeterminedquantity of tobacco to a tobacco utilising machine. Such dischargers areof a kind (known per se) which include a separating screen and a hopperbeneath the screen fitted with a door 22, 23, i251 and 25 which isopened when the hopper is sufiiciently The dischargers are opened toinfluence of the fan 9 by opening an associated flap valve 18, '19, 20and 21.

In the system as described above it will be clear that the opening of adischarge door of any discharger 10, 11, 12 and 13 will permit air topass into the conjoined conduits 4, 5, '6 and 7 from the neighbourhoodof the machine being served. Such in-flow of air not only increases theload upon the suction fan 9, but seriously interferes with the normalflow of tobacco along the conduits. To obviate this a non-return valve14, 15, 16 and 17 is fitted in the conveying conduit 4, 5, 6 and 7between each discharger 10, 11, :12 and '13 and the conduit manifoldadjacent to the feed-in point. These nonreturn valves 14, 15, 16 and 17are opened automatically when the air outlet flap valves 18, 19, 20 and21 from the'disch-argers are opened in order to subject them to suctionand are closed under gravity or by spring or like means when notsubjected to suction.

When any one discharger is requisitely filled with tobacco, the flap orlike valve 18, 19, 20 or 21 associated with it is closed to cut it offfrom the influence of the suction fan 9', and when the dischargertobacco outlet door is opened .the non-return valve at its inlet side isimmediately closed under atmospheric pressure assisted by gravity or thespring means above referred to, preventing reverse flow in that conduitinduced by suction applied to another conduit. As the non-return valvein a transporting conduit closes air flow in that conduit ceases andtobacco in transit falls to the conduit base. At this time also anytobacco in the vertical conduit 3 leading from the feed-in stationceases to be subject to air flow due to suction and is free to fall backto the feed-in chute or hopper 2, thus clearing the vertical conduit andbranch conduit ends preparatory The run of the transporting conduits mayinto a subsequent incidence of suction when a further discharger is setfor a filling operation.

It will be understood that the above example is merely illustrative ofthe invention and that modifications are envisaged which do not affectits general scope as delimited in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A pneumatic tobacco distributing system comprising a feed-in station,a plurality of dischargers each having a tobacco intake opening, asuction inlet and an outlet door normally opened when the discharger isfilled rwith tobacco, a feed pipe leading from the feed-in station tosaid dischargers and including a manifold and a plurality oftransporting conduits connected to said intake openings of thedischargers, at least one fan connected to said suction inlets of saiddischarger creating suction therein and in said transporting conduits, avalve between each discharger suction inlet and the fan for selectivelyopening the associated transporting conduit to suction, and a nonretumvalve in each transporting conduit between the discharger intake openingand said manifold and normally biased to close said conduit, saidnonreturn valve being operative to open said conduit tupon presence ofsuction therein and being moved by said bias to close the conduit andprevent drawback of air through the discharger to the manifold and othertransporting conduits by reason of suction in such other conduits whenthe associated discharger outlet door is open.

2. A pneumatic tobacco distributing system according to claim 1 in whichthe nonreturn valves are sited immediately adjacent to the manifold.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 413,219Great Britain July 12, 1934

1. A PNEUMATIC TOBACCO DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM COMPRISING A FEED-IN STATION,A PLURALITY OF DISCHARGERS EACH HAVING A TOBACCO INTAKE OPENING, ASUCTION INLET AND AN OUTLET DOOR NORMALLY OPENED WHEN THE DISCHARGER ISFILLED WITH TOBACCO, A FEED PIPE LEADIING FROM THE FEED-IN STATION TOSAID DISCHARGERS AND INCLUDING A MANIFOLD AND A PLURALITY OFTRANSPORTING CONDUITS CONNECTED TO SAID INTAKE OPENINGS OF THEDISCHARGERS, AT LEAST ONE FAN CONNECTED TO SAID SUCTION INLETS OF SAIDDISCHARGER CREATING SUCTION THEREIN AND IN SAID TRANSPORTING CONDUITS, AVALVE BETWEEN EACH DISCHARGER SUCTION INLET AND THE FAN FOR SELECTIVELYOPENING THE ASSOCIATED TRANSPORTING CONDUIT TO SUCTION, AND A NONRETURNVALVE IN EACH TRANSPORTING CONDUIT BETWEEN THE DISCHARGER INTAKE OPENINGAND SAID MANIFOLD AND A NORMALLY BIASED TO CLOSE SAID CONDUIT, SAIDNONRETURN VALVE BEING OPERATIVE TO OPEN SAID CONDUIT UPON PRESENCE OFSUCTION THEREIN AND BEING MOVED BY SAID BIAS TO CLOSE THE CONDUIT ANDPREVENT DRAWBACK OF AIR THROUGH THE DISCHARGER TO THE MANIFOLD AND OTHERTRANSPORTING CONDUITS BY REASON OF SUCTION IN SUCH OTHER CONDUITS WHENTHE ASSOCIATED DISCHARGER OUTLET DOOR IS OPEN.